Bob Didier
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | September 14, 1918 Marksville, LA |
| Date and Place of Death: | February 10, 2011 Baton Rouge, LA |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | US Army |
| Area Served: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
Robert I. "Bob" Didier, Jr., the son of Robert, Sr., and Edith Didier,
was born on September 14, 1918, in Marksville, Louisiana. He graduated
from Marksville High School, and when the family moved to Baton Rouge,
he attended Louisiana State University. Didier was 21-years-old when he
was signed by the Memphis Chicks of the Class A1 Southern Association,
and optioned to the Greenville Buckshots of the Class C Cotton States
League on April 1, 1940. A catcher, Didier played 108 games and batted
.285 in his only season in professional baseball.
In March 1941, Didier chose not to join the Buckshots, but to follow in
his father's footsteps in a banking career. He entered military service
with the army in August 1942, and was stationed at Camp Wolters, Texas,
where he played baseball, before being sent to the Mediterranean
Theater. Didier was wounded in action and captured during the Italian
campaign.
Didier returned home to Baton Rouge after the war. He played semi-pro
baseball with local teams and continued with his career in banking. He
progressed from a runner to president, and retired as executive vice
president of the Louisiana Bankers Association.
A keen golfer who also enjoyed hunting and fishing, Bob Didier passed
away on February 10, 2011, in Baton Rouge. He was 92 years old and is
buried at Greenoaks Memorial Park in Baton Rouge.
Two of his brothers, Gerald and Mel, also played minor league baseball.
Gerald was a second baseman who played during the 1950s. Mel was a
pitcher who played in the late 1940s and went on to be a scout and
baseball executive. Mel's son, Bob (named after his grandfather and his
uncle) was a major league catcher in the 1970s who later managed in the
minors and coached in the big leagues.
Date Added February 3, 2018. Updated May 28, 2020
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